POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT POLICY
At Balloch Primary School we believe that everyone should behave in a polite, respectful and
considerate manner towards everyone else. Building positive relationships between adults and
our pupils and encouraging them in the skills that will enable them to relate well to each other is a
key component of our positive behaviour policy. We expect all staff to model excellent
relationships so that our pupils can see these demonstrated to them at all times. We promote and
expect high standards of responsible behaviour by our pupils towards staff, each other and anyone
who is part of our school community. We recognize the important role parents have in guiding
their child as their social skills develop.
We have five basic rights in the school which we integrate into the daily life of our school.
1
2
3
4
5
Pupils have a right to be educated.
Teachers have a right to teach.
Everyone has a right to safety, including the right to be protected from being hurt and
mistreated, physically or mentally.
Everybody has a right to dignity and respect.
Everyone has a right to have their opinion taken into account.
There are general rules and routines we expect the children to follow in school.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Behave in a polite, respectful and considerate manner towards everyone in school.
Be polite, well-mannered and welcome everyone to our school.
Come to school in uniform and always be on time.
Move about the school in an orderly manner at all times, keeping to the left in corridors and on
stairs, walking not running.
5. Respect school property and take good care of your possessions and those of others.
6. Do not bring glass bottles, cans or flasks of hot liquid to school. Never carry unwrapped food in
the corridors.
Individual classes and subjects will have their own rules and routines which pupils are expected to
observe.
It is important that children understand their behaviour results in consequences and to support
this we have developed the use of rewards and sanctions. Whilst we prefer to reward good
behaviour rather than punish misdemeanors we still find that a balance provides more motivation
for pupils to make better choices.
Pupils have been consulted regarding the use of rewards and sanctions within Balloch Primary
School. Whilst their preference is for the use of rewards, they understand the use of sanctions to
promote the social, emotional and educational welfare of all the children.
Generally the following rewards and sanctions are used within the school:
Rewards
Praise
House
Captain
Certificates
Star Awards
4 Capacities
Certificates
Star of the
Day
Thumbs Up
The use of praise can be the most effective tool for reinforcing positive behaviour. This
could take the form of verbal praise, an ink stamper or a sticker.
These certificates are given to Primary 1 – 3 pupils who share an achievement with the
House Captains. This can be an in school or out of school achievement. Photographs
are displayed on the pupil noticeboard and at the front of the school.
These certificates are given out at fortnightly assemblies. The recipients are chosen by
teachers in recognition of effort and work.
One certificate per class is presented at weekly assemblies in rotation – successful
learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. The
recipients are chosen by teachers, sometimes in consultation with the class.
Photographs are displayed on the pupil noticeboard and the entrance to the school.
There are 2 stars per day chosen in every class from Primary 1 – 6. The stars are usually
chosen at the end of the school day, one by the teacher and one by the outgoing star.
Pupils who are the “Star of the Day” wear a star badge in recognition of their status.
Yellow thumbs up cards are given in the playground for recognized good behaviour.
Three thumbs up cards results in a class agreed reward and a house thumbs up on the
school board. The house with the most thumbs up on the board each month earns an
extra playtime.
Rewards and Sanctions (dual purpose)
Golden Time
Golden Time is a time for relaxation and fun as a reward for good behaviour during the
day/week. Golden Time is not “a given”, it can be gained or lost depending on
behaviour that day / week. Class teachers are responsible for time being given or taken
away.
House Points Every child is a member of a house within the school. We have four houses: Birch; Fir;
Oak and Larch. Pupils can gain or lose points in class. These points are collected by the
House Captains on a Friday, totalled and the result shared at Assembly. The totals for
the term are displayed on the wall between the ICT room and the hall. Each term every
member of the winning house receives a pencil in their house colour. The winning
house for the session wins the House Shield at our end of session service. Children new
to the school are placed in the same house as their siblings.
Sanctions
Verbal and
Non-Verbal
Cues
/Warnings
Punishment
Exercises
Thumbs
Down
These are usually the first and most common types of sanctions. They are
instantaneous and can be managed subtly and discreetly. Sometimes the class teacher
will ask the DHT or HT to discuss the pupil’s behaviour with them.
These should be completed at home or during a break time. They may take the form of
an academic exercise, a letter or lines. If the work is to be completed at home then a
slip will accompany it for a parent / carer to sign.
Yellow thumbs down slips are completed in the playground when there has been an
incident before school, during break or lunch time. Three slips result in an automatic
time in during a break to reflect on behaviour.
Missing
Activities
Kept In
As far as possible this relates to the misdemeanour, e.g. misbehaviour on the football
pitch at break time results in missing out on football for that week. On rare occasions,
with health and wellbeing as the major factor, children are withdrawn from trips but
this is not a decision taken lightly.
Pupils are kept in for the 15 minutes over break time. Missing out on prime socialising
time is a powerful deterrent. The time is supervised by a PSA and is often used to
discuss the misdemeanour and look for solutions. Parents are always informed if their
child is kept in. On very rare occasions, usually taking health and wellbeing into
account, a pupil may be kept in over the lunch break.
There are also a number of strategies individual teachers make use of within their classes, e.g.
leave classroom first at break, traffic lights, homework pass, move seat, table of the week.
Rewards are often celebrated widely whilst, as far as possible, sanctions are applied privately with
the dignity of the child taken into consideration.
Communication between pupils, staff and parents is an important aspect of positive behaviour
management. Pupils have a right to say what they think should happen and parents have a right to
discuss incidents involving their child.
During a school day a pupil may work with a number of adults – their class teacher, specialist
teachers and PSAs. It is important to record any incidents so that information is shared as
required.
In the playground the thumbs up and thumbs down cards / slips enable communication between
PSAs and class teachers. Class and specialist teachers complete orange slips which are kept by the
class teacher for the duration of the session. These slips do not follow the pupils through school
but are useful as a reference should a parent or member of staff raise concerns regarding a pupil’s
on-going behaviour.
The behaviour of the children is everyone’s responsibility and consistency of approach is
important. Pupils who feel they have been treated unfairly should speak to their class teacher, the
Depute Head or the Head Teacher.
In Balloch Primary School we have a staged approach to managing behaviour.
Class teachers are primarily responsible for maintaining good discipline and promoting a high
standard of behaviour within their class. Visiting specialists are fully responsible for maintaining
good discipline during their time with a class.
Initially an agreed set of class rules should be drawn up which are clearly understood by all pupils.
The pupils should be involved in drawing them up. In addition, the teacher should very clearly
explain the standards she/he requires in class and why. Class rules should be clearly displayed in
the classroom.
Should any pupil persistently deviate from expected behaviour, the following steps are
recommended.
STEP 1
The adult will describe to the pupil what they want to see as good behaviour. It should be
explained clearly what kind of behaviour will not be accepted. Good behaviour should be “caught”
and praised.
STEP 2
If the pupil continues with the unacceptable behaviour then the above advice will be repeated and
a note made on a yellow / orange slip. It may be appropriate to issue a punishment as a sanction,
e.g. loss of house points, loss of Golden Time.
STEP 3
If the behaviour continues the punishment becomes more severe with parental awareness being
raised, e.g. punishment exercise home / kept in at break time. The DHT / HT may be informed and
will discuss the incident (s) further with the child.
STEP 4
Any further incidents will result in parents being contacted by telephone to discuss the incident(s)
with the class teacher. The DHT / HT will be informed.
STEP 5
The parents will be invited into school to discuss their child’s behaviour with the class teacher and
the DHT / HT. A behaviour support plan may be put in place. The outcome of this may vary for
individuals and depending on how supportive parents are prepared to be.
STEP 6
Continued high level of unacceptable behaviour may result in a temporary exclusion.
Although most misbehaviour results in all of the above steps being taken there are exceptions,
including “one off” acts of serious or violent incidents. These are dealt with as quickly as possible
and usually result in some kind of communication with parents.
March 2014 (draft)